Tales of Calamen: Bent Before the Storm

As I walked up to Prent the Oldest, I suddenly decided on which story I wanted. It was one that I had heard in bits and pieces but with little cohesivity and even less detail. It was one everyone knew bits and pieces of, but none ever agreed on.

“Ask your question Solven. What story would you like to hear this time?” Prent asked as I walked into the Elder house. It was wider than it was long. It had a large brazier in the floor lined with blocks of karok which were blackened from the fires before the one that was now alight. There were soft cushions around the brazier that matched the deep brown of the surrounding wood. Prent sat opposite the door as I walked in. The flames of the brazier were low, just skittering over the glowing coals making the surface shimmer with heat. I shook off the cold air and removed my thick fur coat.

“Hello Oldest one Prent.” I said touching the center of my chest with three fingers and lowering my head slightly. Prent waved me away.

“Please Solven, there is no need for that.” There was a note of irritation in his voice. He was a tall, thin, husk of a man. His skin was ash grey. His hair which had been blonde when he was younger, was now silver at the tips and a sharp, Sidian black similar to my own hair for the rest. Back veins webbed across his skin, proof of his age. The Sidian water slowly worked its way into the bloodstream. The first thing to change were the eyes. Around two or three years of age a Benton would show black irises. This would be the only change for many years. Around fifty years of age it can be seen in the skin, turning from a pale brown color to the ashen grey color Prent showed now. At age seventy or so the hair would begin to change to Sidan black. It wasn’t until a person's mid nineties that they would begin to show the black veins. This normally meant that the person's life was nearing its end. However, Prent was nearly 120 years old and still moving. His veins were as black as the Sidian, even the deep veins in the fleshy part of his arms and thighs where that were not hidden by his short pants. He leaned back on his hands stretching out on his long pillow and yawned. “Come on now Solven, I don’t have all day you know.”

I thought for a moment about how to ask. “I want to know the story of the Alspring. That is my official request.” Prent gave me a slightly apprehensive look before nodding slowly. “Sit Solven, and I will tell you the story older than the sun itself.

The Alspring is the spring where the three major rivers originate. The Spalted at the alspring is a honey colored, perfectly straight-grained wood. When something falls into this the ripples make knots in the wood, but at the Alspring it is perfect and pristine. Next is the Virga, which gushes from the spring like a fine mist, curling and sparkling like diamonds in the light. The surface when struck is like thick ice and anything will skitter across the top before sinking. The third is the Gildt, the golden river which rings like a bell instead of splashes. These are the properties which we all know and can see with our own eyes. Three rivers, three different properties, three very different effects on day-to-day life.

However, this story begins with four brothers. These brothers were not Vallen like us. They were of those before even the No Ones. It was a time where magic flowed as freely as the rivers. However, at this time, there were no rivers. The four brothers lived and grew up in a small, very isolated area in the valley of seven mountains. The mountains rose high into what would become the sky. Their height might have caused there to be snow, but snow was not even a thought yet. Only the mountains and the land of the world existed before the four brothers. There are no stories of the brother's creation. They simply came to be as easy as waking in a new place and not knowing how you might have gotten there. The first brother, Salken was the oldest and could build and shape anything he touched. The grass grew at his will, sticks shaped in his hands, animals sprung from his thoughts, and water, clear, water, turned solid without cold. He wore what would later be called clothing. All made of grass, rough stone, and hard wood. The second brother, Vell, favored thought over craft. He wrote his thoughts, formed poetry and music. He developed instruments for his brother to create for him. He watched the sound move across the land like wind. He felt the power of lightning through his veins, and mourned for his own soul, for he could feel it trapped within his body. His thoughts covered him so they created a second wispy skin-like armor around his body constantly shifting and changing with new thoughts. The third brother, Gelfen, was more worried about his appearance. He could find and manipulate precious stones and metals but did not have the creative capacity to make something from them so he simply gloated over having them. He was clad in gems and special metals so he simmered in the sunlight nearly blinding the others during the day. The fourth brother could speak. He could weave words and feelings into grand stories. He could rend a heart with truth and build love with a lie. He was the most clever, but also the most dangerous. He wore his words in a black shimmering cloak that would protect him from any harm.

The three brothers lived in harmony while the fourth was left to his own devices. They all slept under the stars. The stars formed from the forgotten thoughts of the second brother, Vell, shaped by his older brother, Salken, and given substance from diamonds gifted by the third brother, Gelfen, had found in the earth. Only the fourth brother, Salden, knew the name of what his brothers had created, stars. This is how it continued. The three brothers created and shaped the world around them with no concept of description or naming what they were creating, no way of explaining how things came to be. Slowly, the brothers began to forget about how things came to be, everything around them simply was. The three brothers were influenced by the names Salden would slip unwittingly during their conversations over dinner. Soon they also knew the name of the things around them. The stars, the grass, the sky, and the moon.

“Brother Salden, how did the sky come to be?” Gelfen asked him at their cook fire one night as there were eating a yet unnamed animal. His voice was light and carefree as a bell a child might have. The gems around his body reflecting the firelight along with his golden hair. He looked pensively into the fire as if he could have a new thought of his own. The other two brothers had already retired from the fire, beckoned by the need for sleep, so the two of them had been sitting in silence with nothing but the crackling fire.

“Do you not remember brother Gelfen?” Salden asked, his voice rough and deep from lack of use. “You found a clear blue stone and thought you wanted it to be beautiful forever. You stretched and formed it so thin that it floated up and became the sky. You were upset for a breadth of days.” Salden rasped with a bit of irritation in his voice.

“Surely not brother Salden. That does not sound right at all. I am not able to create something.” Gelfen muttered to himself and walked away from the fire, confused and hurt that his brother would tell him something untrue.

Up until this point, the three brothers took everything another said at face value. The only one who had discovered that he could say something that was not true was Salden. However, he never spoke an untrue thing. He did not need to. He found that the truth was much more effective. The concept of something untrue was so foreign to the other three that Gelfen could not get the idea that he had created something out of his head. Maybe Salden was correct. Maybe Gelfen had become confused and not realized that he was Salken as that was the only rational explanation regarding why Salden would say such a thing. This single interaction caused the first instance of indecision. The first instance of spite and distrust.

Days passed and Gelfen began to become more and more distant to the other two, often leaving for hours sometimes days at a time. He would come back and prepare camp and a meal for only himself,l without interacting with the others. At first, Salken and Vell were not interested as they continued to make things that are so common in our world. However, they began to notice the lack of Gelfen’s presence when they were making a more efficient way to hunt the animals they needed to eat. So the two of them laid the project aside, for now, to wait for Gelfen’s return. Gelfen did not return. For weeks the three brothers simply accepted this turn of events. Salden never thought that he had been the reason for this. Why should he? All he had done was tell the truth. More time passed and the brothers got older and older eventually all but forgetting about Gelfen.

Twenty-One years later, a man walked up to their clearing which now had stone buildings for each of the remaining brothers. Salden glared at him before his eyes widened for he had the longest memory. “G-Gelfen? Brother! Where have you been?” His shouts roused the other brothers from their tasks and they quickly came out to see what the normally quiet Salden was being so loud about. Their faces fell as they recognized the figure and they all did the mental arithmetic to determine how long he had been gone. Not that there was a real system to work from in the first place.

It was Gelfen, there was no doubt, but he looked different. He had a thick golden beard and his hair was cut short while staying high on his head. His clothing was fine golden silk that stayed close to his body with jewels artfully placed. He no longer blinded people. He seemed to burn with the fire of the sun. Salden backed away as his brothers rushed towards Gelfen. That night there was a great deal of food and celebration and for a while, things returned to what they once were. Salden did not interact with Gelfen. He did not trust something in his voice, his clothing, his manner. Even that soon passed but never quite left the back of Salden’s mind. Then one night everything changed and would shape the world we know it now.

“Gelfen! brother! I had forgotten in the long years since you have been gone. We had a project that Vell and I had been working on. I found it last night. Do you think you could help us? Gelfen smiled “Of course my brothers! What is it you need help with?” Salden watched from a ways off curiosity written across his face, but not wanting to engage in the conversation.

“Well, it is quite important actually. It was going to be a means of hunting but now I rather think it may be a defense mechanism. It was a long piece of wood sharpened on one side. Vell had seen paper cut and thought it could be applied to other materials. He had used wood and stone but never had a way to draw up metals from the earth. The “blade” was nearly seven feet long with a handle nearly half the length of the blade. There was also a crossguard that was half the length of the handle. Overall it looked quite unusable. “I believe that we will be able to use this in aid to hunting. Now that we have arrows it is fairly easy but there are some things that will sneak up and attack. An arrow is not useful for this.” There was more explanation of the design and the leverage needed for the blade. Gelfen nodded and smiled asking questions.

After more explanations, they were ready to begin. Gelfen focused and a flowing globe of gold rose from the earth bright and glittering. While keeping it suspended he also brought out a flowing globe of cold silver. He wove them and worked them making a new thing, Electrum. Further still, he drew a third metal from the ground, this one a deep, dark red. He began to pull a fourth. It was a bright impossible blue and braided, kneaded, and worked these metals into a beautiful dark blade of shimmering metal. From the blade, he kneaded out a crossguard and hilt. He worked strange markings into the blade. Velatum magarum. Then he was done. The sword was long and slender with a light curve in the spine. The metal swirled and changed seeming to flow while confined in the shape of the blade. The hilt was a dark purple of swirling blues and dark reds. The crossguard bright dangerous electrum but much smaller and less cumbersome than the original design. The entire spectacle had taken less than a few seconds. Salken and Vell watched with amazement that soon turned indignant. Soon Salken had anger openly streaking across his face like a fork of lightning.

“G-elfen...H-how did you do that? How...HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO CREATE!” Salken exploded out. Salken began another tirade but choked as he sank to his knees, dead before his body had fully hit the ground, no time for his hands to even fly to his throat as blood sprayed the grass. Vell let out a howl of bitter sadness and shock before it was abruptly cut short. The sword sprouted from his chest. Gelfen still holding the sword leaned close to his brother’s ear.

“Sleep now, brother. Know that I will carry out the duties as the sole creator of this world.” He wrenched the sword from Vell’s chest nearly cutting his brother in half with the effort. He smiled before glancing around for the third brother. He turned and leveled his gaze on Salden. The third brother, tall and slender the long cloak that covered his facial features . It shimmered in the sunlight like volcanic glass. Salken held a bow, the string drawn back to his ear with an arrow knocked. It looked strange to Gelfen as though he couldn't quite focus on the physical form of the bow or arrow. Salken glared at his brother.

“Why Gelfen?” Gelfen laughed. It was a deep malicious sound.

“Why? You ask? Because why should we all be able to create. Those idiots working together could not do anything of use! Look what I have made, what I can create with just the elements at my command.

“Why kill them Gelfen?” Salken said quietly still holding the bow ready.

“With them. No. With you all alive then I would never be able to rule. Once you discovered thoughts and learned to give them shape, you would be a threat to me and all I wish to create. I would no longer be able to hold the title of GOD!” Gelfen threw the sword. Salden fired while spinning in a circle and melting into a puddle of shadow, The sword missed him by inches as the arrow found its mark. Gelfen roared in pain as the arrow sprouted from his shoulder, but his clothing protected him from most of the damage. He tore the arrow from his shoulder as the sword flew back to his hand. He whirled around blade swinging in a wide arc as Salden rocked back out of reach of the blade, stunned that his brother anticipated his attack so flawlessly. Gelfen brought the sword back slashing upward to open Salden’s chest.

“SWORD!” Salden called as he brought up a glimmering sword and parried Gelf’s strike sending a shower of sparks. Another word under Salden’s breath and he was gone. Gelfen dodged to the side as an axe split the air where his head had been. He turned with the dodge and attempted to grab hold of Salden but only managed to grab the cowl of his cloak. Just as Gelfen’s hand made contact Salden twisted out of his cloak and grabbed Gaelfen by the wrist. “Rend” Salken muttered and Gelfen recoiled screaming as blood flowed from his now ruined hand. He jerked his ruined hand from Salden’s grasp and brought the sword down again but Salden was gone. He clenched his ruined hand with a howl and spun, his bloody fist connected with Salden’s nose and sent him sprawling with the power of the impact. Salden, landing next to his dead brothers lay still, spots dancing in his eyes with the taste of blood in his mouth, sharp and metallic.

“Predictable brother.” He sneered as Salden struggled to stand. “Be at peace now and know I will do right by this world.” He brought his sword down impaling Salden in the back, directly through his heart.

Gelfen went to remove the sword and froze. “How ?” he, breathed out. The cloak seemed to deflate as if filled with air that was suddenly released. Salden pressed a hand to Gelfen’s back, as if in comfort. Tears stung Salden’s eyes as Gelfen dropped his sword. Gelfen glanced back and smiled. For a moment, Salden could almost believe that things could go back to the way they were. However, there was a sudden flash of cunning and malice in Gelfen’s eyes and Salden hardened his resolve, what Gelfen had done was unforgivable and Gelfen wanted more.

“If there is to be a god, brother. It will not be you.” He said softly. “Rend” blood poured from Gelfen’s mouth as he sank to his knees. Salden stepped around him to retrieve his cloak. Tears ran down his face as he watched his brother die. Gelfen turned his head to look at Salden, blood pouring from his mouth and nose as his body ripped itself apart from the inside.

“I’m sorry, my brothers, if only you could have understood.” He said softly as tears of blood began running down his face. He collapsed next to the two he had slain in pursuit of his power.

________________

Salden wept for three days, and as he wept for his brothers he molded the tears into beautiful things that would dissipate nearly as soon as he made them. By the end of the third day, he began to think about what he was going to do now. He looked to the bodies of his brothers who still lay where they fell. There was the small body of water where they drank from and Salden took them to the water, cleaned their wounds, and wrapped them in black shrouds woven from the words of pain and sorrow storming in Salden’s heart. He buried them on the bank of the water. Salken on the left, Vell in the middle, and Gelfen on the right.

No stones decorated the graves. Only Salden would know they were there. Day’s later Salden set out to begin his journey. He did not know what he would find, but he could no longer stay in this place that had witnessed so much pain. He had no bag for he could create anything he chose. So set off with nothing but the clothes on his back and his cloak to keep him warm.

Now, his journey is a tale for another time. I’m sure you have heard stories of the Nameless Maker as a boy. Those are the stories of Salden as he traveled the world. However, many years later when Salden was nearing the end of his life, he returned to the place he had left behind so long ago. A place in the valley of seven mountains. As Salden entered the valley his eyes widened in shock. There was now a large spring of clear water. It flowed into other pools so clear they almost looked empty. However, three of the springs were different. One looked like the stump of a cut tree on the surface. Another looked like it was filled with white fog. The third looked like solid gold. Once again, for the first time since that day so long ago, Salden wept for his brothers, reborn in these new forms.

Salden decided that he would make these pools help shape the world. The way the brothers should have to begin with. He concentrated and moved them each in different directions so they might alter the land in the way they chose. Salden traveled as he shaped the rivers’ paths. Many years later, after living well past what was reasonable, Salden collapsed near the edge of a large cliff. The rivers had met there and he was not sure how they had managed it. They flowed into one pool then swirled together into clear water once again. Salden smiled.

“I believe that now is the time to join you again, brothers. Salden stepped into the water and gently faded away leaving his shimmering black spirit to mix with the water of his brothers. There the Sidan was born. The black pool burrowed into the stone and made a large cave where the three rivers mixed before flowing out of the new cave to shape the world in its own way.

When Prent finished I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. I felt a strange sensation running through me. It felt as though I was vibrating, a small shudder running the length of my body. I reached up and touched my hair. Prent chuckled.

“Yes, you noticed. One born with the hair of Salden is very rare. It is quite often associated with one of his powers. Although I do not know if you have noticed any of these for yourself. It may even be an indication of an affinity you have yet to discover. Now, there is your story Solven. You may share it if you like, as always.”

I stood up and gave a small bow to the man before stepping outside into the chill winter air.